Tag Archives: AOR

(AOR is a term that means “Area of Responsibility.”) It loosely means the zones where our service members are deployed. So how does an Airman keep in touch with loved ones while deployed? Through social media, of course!

Master Sgt. Linda Adams, 379th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron consolidated tool kit NCOIC, updates her blog, which allows her to update and keep in touch with her students while deployed Nov. 24, 2009. In addition to being an Air Force reservist, Sergeant Adams is a teacher at Kate Shepard Elementary in Mobile, Ala. She is deployed from Keesler Air Force Base, Miss. in support of operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom.
(U.S. Air Force Photo/Tech. Sgt. Jason W. Edwards)

Below is this week’s Dispatch from Ali Base from 1st Lt. Korry Leverett.

Airmen help Iraqis fight the flames
By 1st Lt. Korry Leverett
407th Air Expeditionary Group Public Affairs

When the Ali Base firefighters of the 407th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron aren’t saving baby camels from wells, they are taking time to train Iraqi firefighters.

Earlier this week I received a phone call from Tech. Sgt. Zachary Townsend, a firefighter with the 407th ECES, deployed from Columbus AFB, Miss., who mentioned that his Airmen would be doing “live fire” training with a group of 10 Iraqi firefighters from the Dhi Qar province, An Nasiriyah city … what an opportunity I thought.

After talking to Sergeant Townsend about his request to come out and witness the training, I gathered my Airmen and we headed out to the training site. Upon arriving on scene I realized just how hot it was, probably 115 degrees, and the wind was blowing around 40 miles per hour. These were some of the worst conditions imaginable for training outside but there was no stop in these firefighters. The dust was so bad I could taste it, and the sun beating down on me felt as if it was singeing my face.

Approximately 15 Airmen from the 407th ECES provided hands on training to the Iraqis. They set up two different live fire scenarios, a container express (CONEX) and a vehicle fire. After walking through the appropriate responses the firefighters suited up into an additional three layers of clothing and equipment. It added 70 pounds to the load they were already carrying. In teams of three, Iraqi and U.S. firefighters battled the fires setup in the CONEX and the vehicle.

I could tell this was a new experience for many of the Iraqis. I was told they had never before donned some of the safety equipment such as the protective suits or oxygen masks used by many firefighting departments. Sergeant Townsend mentioned to me that by wearing the additional equipment this would allow them to get close enough to the fire to feel the heat from the flames. I could feel the heat standing at a safe distance so I can just imagine what it must have been like walking right into the flames … well almost.

This was the final training session for the group but it wouldn’t be soon forgotten. The Airmen here had been mentoring the Iraqi firefighters for the last six weeks and I could tell that they shared a bond from their experiences together. Several of them mentioned to me that they believed this was “what it’s all about.” They knew that if they helped save even one person through their hard work with the Iraqi firefighters then they have accomplished their mission.

One last thing, earlier this year the firefighters from the 407th saved a baby camel from a well and Animal Planet has plans to do a short story on their efforts. It’s unknown at this time when the feature is expected to air but if you would like more information you can watch a brief news clip done by Staff Sgt. James Stewart, Eielson AFB, Alaska on the Ali Base Web site or visit Stars and Stripes.

Captions:

ALI BASE, Iraq – Senior Airman John Black from the 407th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron assists an Iraqi firefighter from the Dhi Qar Province, An Nasiriyah city, in positioning his safety equipment and mask before a training event here August 3. Airmen from the 407th ECES have been mentoring the Iraqi firefighters for six weeks in order to provide them with additional fire response experience and training. (US Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Tony R. Ritter)

ALI BASE, Iraq – A U.S. Air Force Airman from the 407th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron directs two Iraqi firefighters from the Dhi Qar province, An Nasiriyah city, as they prepare to enter a burning Container Express (CONEX) here August 3. Airmen from the 407th ECES have been mentoring the Iraqi firefighters for six weeks in order to provide them with adequate fire response experience and training. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Tony R. Ritter)

This week, we welcome 1st Lieutenant Korry Leverett to Air Force Live. 1stLt Leverett is replacing Master Sergeant Russ Petcoff as our voice from Ali Base, Iraq. MSgt Petcoff’s deployment is over and he has returned back to the D.C. area. We’d like to give a huge thanks to MSgt Petcoff for giving us some insight into deployed life and sharing the stories of the men and women serving at Ali Base. 1stLt Leverett joins us with a somber reminder of the ongoing dangers and fight in the deployed zones and a tribute to those who do not make it back home.

Unnamed Heroes
By 1st Lt. Korry Leverett
407th Air Expeditionary Group Public Affairs

Recently I made the journey from Malmstrom AFB in Great Falls, Mont., to Ali Base, Iraq. It was a lengthy process to say the least but upon arrival I became privy to all the amazing things Airmen are doing in the 120 degree heat, day and night. As impressed as I was, and still am, I was swiftly reminded of the serious nature of the business we are in and the toll it takes on the men and women who sacrifice so much for our nation.

As evening approached and moonlight filled the sky at Ali Base, Iraq, 20 or so Airmen and Soldiers gathered at the tail end of a C-130 Hercules to pay their respects to three soldiers who had been killed the night before. It was one of the most gut wrenching events of our short lives but we knew it had to be done. Lining both sides of the aircraft in preparation for the transfer my heart raced. The mood was somber and silence filled the night sky. I didn’t know what to expect of myself and even more importantly I did not know what to expect of two of my young Airmen that were there with me.

“I need you two now,” said Chief Master Sgt. Gerald Delebreau, superintendent for the 407th Air Expeditionary Group at Ali Base, Iraq. He was looking straight at my Airmen and requesting their immediate assistance with the transfer. I could see they were a little surprised but they did not hesitate. They had just been asked to assist in the transfer of a fallen comrade … no questions asked, they were there to support.

As the vehicle backed up to the procession and the transfer team began to unload the flag draped caskets our detail was called to attention and the order to present arms was given. We stood eye to eye at attention, saluting as the team passed in front of us three times. We were doing everything we could to pay the proper respect to those who paid the ultimate price.

As the procession ended and the detail was dismissed I could see out of the corner of my eye a large group of Airmen, many of whom worked on the flightline, off in the distance standing at attention. I was moved by their presence … they had made every effort to cease operations for even just a moment in time to pay their respect.

As we drove back to our CHU (compartmentalized housing unit) late that evening neither my Airmen nor I could say a word. I could tell they were deeply moved by the event and found out the next morning that neither slept well that evening.

We had no idea who the fallen soldiers were we just knew that we had to take a moment in time to honor those who sacrificed so much. Though they were nameless to us they will live forever in our minds as American heroes.

Ali Base Airmen observed the 4th of July with a day of fun and relaxation. Many base organizations banded together to put together a traditional carnival and fire muster. Even in the middle of a desert, Ali Airmen were able to establish a mini water park complete with a slip ’n’ slide and wading pool to cool off from the 120-degree heat. While most Americans enjoyed a fireworks display, Ali Airmen used their ingenuity to enjoy a videotape fireworks display projected on concrete walls.

There’s something about observing the 4th of July outside of the United States. It’s a time to reflect on the freedoms Americans enjoy. Too often these freedoms go unnoticed by our fellow Americans who have never had the opportunity to live or serve abroad. It’s too easy to take for granted the freedoms life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Above: Staff Sgt. Valerie Gilbert, 407th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron, glides down a slip ’n’ slide during the Ali Base Independence Day Bash. The Ali Company Grade Officer Council sponsored the slide in conjunction with other Independence Day activities that included a carnival, dunk tank and fire muster. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Christopher Marasky)

President Franklin D. Roosevelt touched on four freedoms during his Jan. 6, 1941, State of the Union Address before Congress. The address is known as FDR’s Four Freedoms Speech:

In the future days, which we seek to make secure, we look forward to a world founded upon four essential human freedoms.

The first is freedom of speech and expression—everywhere in the world.

The second is freedom of every person to worship God in his own way—everywhere in the world.

The third is freedom from want—which, translated into universal terms, means economic understandings which will secure to every nation a healthy peacetime life for its inhabitants—everywhere in the world.

The fourth is freedom from fear—which, translated into world terms, means a world-wide reduction of armaments to such a point and in such a thorough fashion that no nation will be in a position to commit an act of physical aggression against any neighbor—anywhere in the world.

That is no vision of a distant millennium. It is a definite basis for a kind of world attainable in our own time and generation. That kind of world is the very antithesis of the so-called new order of tyranny which the dictators seek to create with the crash of a bomb.

Protecting freedoms home and abroad is why Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, Coastguardsmen and Department of Defense civilians proudly serve and why we are deployed around the world. It’s why members of the Greatest Generation fought in World War II and why members of this great generation are fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.

A multi-national food conglomerate created Shake ‘n’ Bake. Ricky Bobby and Cal Naughton Jr. popularized the phrase in “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby.” Here at Ali we have our own version…it can be called “Dust ‘n’ Bake.”

For about a week we have undergone a hot dust storm that just won’t go away. Imagine hot air hitting you in the face at 50 miles per hour or more and drying out your eyes. Add small pebbles and sand the consistency and color of instant chocolate pudding (hold the milk). This gives you a point of reference for Ali Base “Dust ‘n’ Bake.” The sand dusts us, and the hot sun bakes us.

Traffic rolls along a road on Ali Base, Iraq, during a dust storm June 30. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Christopher Marasky)

With the amount of dust blowing around, it’s understandable how after a few thousand years something as large as the Ziggurat of Ur is buried.

Speaking of the Ziggurat of Ur and Abraham’s home, Staff Sgt. James Stewart, 407th Air Expeditionary Group broadcaster, recently finished an excellent video on those two historic locations. “The Ancient City of Ur” is at the 407th AEG Web site. It’s worth 16 minutes of your life! The story of Abraham – he was known as Abram then before God changed his name – living in Ur can be found in Genesis 11:31 of the Bible:

Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, the wife of his son Abram, and together they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan. But when they came to Haran, they settled there. (New International Version)

Abraham is the father of the world’s three great monotheistic religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. To think, this started from Ur located not far from Ali Base. The historic significance, let alone the religious implications, is awe-inspiring.

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The official blog of the U.S. Air Force, Air Force Live, is maintained by the Air Force Public Affairs Agency. The site is intended to connect Air Force Airmen with online readers. The site is a reflection of the men and women serving in the Air Force. For more information, visit www.af.mil, and see our About page. For information on joining the Air Force, visit www.airforce.com.